Pneumatic tires for severe service applications on heavy vehicles that operate at slow speeds, such as refuse trucks, construction trucks, and tankers, are prone to significant heat buildup in the tire crown area. The heat buildup reduces both belt edge durability and crown durability. Conventional pneumatic tires incorporate a belt package that includes multiple cut belt layers wrapped about the circumference of the tire. Typically, the cut belt layers in conventional pneumatic tires for use on such heavy vehicles are formed from a single type of belt wire and are narrower in width than the tire footprint. Conventionally, the width of the widest cut belt layer is less than 90% of the tire footprint.
One specific type of pneumatic tire, the 11R24.5 G286 LR ‘H’ tire, for use in severe service applications is constructed with four individual cut belts each formed from a single type of belt wire. Two of the cut belt layers are deemed the working belt layers. The green widths of the working belt layers of the LR ‘H’ tire, which has a footprint width of 7.89″, are 7.00″ and 7.80″, respectively, and the corresponding cured belt widths are 6.40″ and 7.00″, respectively. The cured belt widths are approximately 81% and 89% of the tire footprint, respectively. The contribution of the two working belts alone to the overall tire weight is 14.31 lbs. Individually, the weight contribution for one working belt is about 6.79 pounds and the weight contribution for the other working belt, which is the wider of the two working belts, is about 7.52 pounds.
For these and other reasons, it would be desirable to modify pneumatic tires for severe service applications on heavy vehicles so as to improve tire durability and stiffness without significantly increasing tire weight.